Life in Ancient Egypt

Life in Ancient Egypt

What was it really like to live in Ancient Egypt??

The Egyptian Social Hierarchy

At its peak (the highest level), ancient Egypt was home to almost 5 million residents and most of these people lived near the Nile River valley/delta

The Upper Class

• The king/pharaoh and his family held the highest social position

• Under the pharaoh was a small upper class

• The upper class consisted of military generals/ army commanders, nobles, pyramid architects, and priests

• The priests served as government officials and supervised other clerks and the scribes

The Middle Class and the Lower Class

• Middle Class-- businessmen, shopkeepers, traders, artisans (craftsmen), and scribes

• Lower Class--farmers, shepherds, unskilled laborers, slaves--- THIS MADE UP THE LARGEST GROUP

• Ambitious people in lower classes were able to improve their status and social position--- this is known as having SOCIAL MOBILITY

Multiple Select

Who was in the upper class in Egyptian society? (check all that apply)

• Military Generals

• Pyramid Architects

• Pharaohs

• Merchants

• Priests

Multiple Select

Who was in the middle class in Egyptian society? (check all that apply)

• Priests

• Scribes

• Merchants

• Artisans (craftsmen)

• Shopkeepers

Multiple Choice

Farmers and unskilled laborers made up the lower class. They had social mobility (could move into higher classes).

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Most farmers worked the land that belonged to ________________.

• their own family

• wealthy families

If you were part of the upper class...

• You would live in an elegant home (called an estate) along the Nile River

• Your home would be surrounded by lush gardens and ponds stocked with fish

• You would dress in fashionable white linen clothes and wear dark eye makeup and fancy jewelry

• You would have servants

Multiple Choice

Another name for a fancy home along with the surrounding gardens and fish ponds

• A condo

• An estate

• A mansion

• A time share

Multiple Choice

Wealthy people did not wear eye makeup or any jewelry.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

The wealthy often dressed in fancy white ___________ cloth. This type of cloth was lightweight and kept them cool in the hot desert heat

• Linen

• Silk

• Leatherskin

• Wool

If you were part of the middle class...

• You were most likely a merchant, shopkeeper, or artisan

• You most likely either owned your own business or produced items like linen cloth, jewelry, pottery, and metal goods

• You lived in a smaller home and had simple clothing/fashions

• You may be employed by the Pharaoh or by the priests to produce things

Multiple Select

What were the most common items produced by artisans (skilled craftsmen) in ancient Egypt? (check all that apply)

• Linen cloth

• Pottery

• Horseshoes

• Metal tools

• Jewelry

Multiple Choice

_______________ were part of the middle class.

• Priests

• Farmers

• Scribes

• Merchants (business-owners)

Multiple Choice

Skilled craftsmen learned their trade from their fathers. They would then teach this trade to their own sons. It was a family tradition.

• True

• False

If you were a scribe...

• You were highly trained in how to read and write (hieroglyphics)

• You copied down almost every official communication in the government

• You had access to significant (and often secret) info of the gov.

• You wrote out such documents as: wills, tax records, laws/decrees, and personal letters

• You were present at official religious ceremonies

Multiple Choice

Scribes were highly trained (over many years) in the art of reading and writing. What was the name of the official Egyptian script?

• Cuneiform

• Hieroglyphics

• Sanskrit

• Phonics

Multiple Select

What types of documents did the scribes copy/write down? (check all that apply)

• Class notes

• Tax records

• Personal wills and letters

• Business contracts

• Diaries

Poll

If you lived in ancient Egypt, would you want to be a scribe?

• Yes

• No

• Maybe

If you were part of the lower class...

• You did physical (manual) labor

• You were most likely a farmer, fisherman, or an unskilled laborer

• If you were a farmer, you worked on land that was owned by wealthy aristocrats

• You most likely lived in a crowded city neighborhoods

• You paid rent to the wealthy nobles

Multiple Choice

Peasant (poor) farmers would farm most of the year but spent the _______ season serving the pharaoh by working on the pyramids, palaces, temples, etc.

• Dry

• Flood

Multiple Select

If you were a farmer, you spent your time working on land that was owned by aristocrats. What is an aristocrat? (check all that apply)

• A merchant

• A wealthy person

• An "elite" member of society

• A noble

• A priest

Multiple Choice

Farmers had to pay taxes. How did they pay their taxes?

• By giving a portion of their crops to the tax officials

• By paying coins (or other currency/money) to the tax officials

• By offering to babysit the children of tax officials

• By auctioning (selling) off their land to the tax officials

Multiple Choice

Egyptian merchants (even still today) trade their goods along the Nile on ships called:

• Barges

• Feluccas

• Canoes

• Kayaks

If you were a slave...

• You had the hardest life

• You were most likely a foreigner (from another country)

• You were most likely captured and enslaved as a POW (prisoner of war)

• You could work to earn your freedom over time and advance up "the social ladder" (the social hierarchy)

Multiple Choice

Most slaves were foreigners who were captured as POW's (prisoners of war).

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

In ancient Egypt, slaves could not earn their freedom over time.

• True

• False

Egyptian Families

• The family was the most important group in ancient Egyptian society

• The father was the head of the household-- this is called a patriarchy

• A patriarchy= a society dominated by men

• A matriarchy= a society dominated by women

Women in Ancient Egypt

• Women had more rights than women in other early civilizations

• Women held a legal status similar to that of men-- they could obtain divorces, buy and sell property/other goods, and sign business contracts

• Wealthy women even served as priests and managed temples

Egyptian Families and Children

• Few children attended school

• Children's toys included: board games, dolls, spinning tops, hoops, and stuffed leather sports balls

• Children were expected to respect their parents

• Boys were expected to learn their father's trade--- eldest (oldest) sons inherited the family business

Egyptian Families and Marriage

• Expected to get married and start a family at a young age (as teenagers)

• Marriages in ancient societies were arranged (parents choose your partner/spouse)

• The eldest children were responsible for taking care of their parents-- to include a proper burial

Multiple Choice

The family was the least important group in ancient Egyptian society.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Most ancient societies had the father as head of the household and the society was dominated by men. This is known as a:

• Matriarchy

• Patriarchy

Multiple Select

Women in ancient Egypt could do what? (check all that apply)

• Obtain (get) divorces from their husbands

• Buy and sell property

• Commit adultery (cheat on their husband)

• Sign business contracts

• Manage the temples, if they were wealthy

Multiple Choice

Most children in ancient Egyptian society could attend school and get an education.

• True

• False

Multiple Select

Which of the following were toys of ancient Egyptian children? (check all that apply)

Multiple Choice

If you were a young person in ancient Egypt, you could choose your own marriage partner/spouse.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

Most marriages in ancient societies were arranged marriages.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

In the ancient world, the life expectancy (how long someone is expected to live) was short. Therefore, people got married at a/an___________ age (as teenagers).

• Old

• Young

• Middle

Multiple Choice

The eldest sons and daughters in an Egyptian family were expected to take care of their parents in old age and make sure they received a proper burial.

• True

• False

Multiple Choice

The _____________ sons often inherited the family business.

• Eldest

• Youngest

• Middle